For 22 dogs, reality show a lifesaver

By SUE MANNING
THE Associated Press

Published: October 17, 2013;Last modified: October 17, 2013 05:00AM

LOS ANGELES — Brandon McMillan has trained as many as 10,000 dogs for television, movies, commercials, videos and people. Then he started saving dogs from animal shelters, training them and finding homes for them.

When Litton Entertainment needed a dog trainer who would rescue, train and place 22 dogs in 22 weeks for a show called “Lucky Dog” for CBS, they didn’t have to look far.

He will start each week spending several hours at a shelter, evaluating dogs. That may be the hardest part, especially given that at least 9,000 dogs and cats are euthanized each day because homes can’t be found for them.

“I can only take one out. That means I have to walk by 99 I can’t take. All 100 are very trainable, very place-able and just as smart as the next dog. Often the one I choose just comes down to one I make a connection with,” McMillan said.

McMillan, 36 and single, said the dogs will be proficient in the seven common commands — sit, stay, down, come, off, heel and no.

“My theory of training is a lot like martial arts. You learn the technique one day and you perfect it for years to come. With the dogs, I teach them technique when I am training them. I teach the family to perfect the technique over the years to come.”

His dogs are really good at seven commands instead of being just average at 20 commands, he said. “Less is more when it comes to dog training.”

McMillan will choose the family by evaluating emails he receives at his Southern California ranch — aptly named the Lucky Dog Ranch — and checking out the house and yard where the new dog will live.

At the end of the show, the dog and family meet. McMillan spends a couple of hours training the family.

Most of the dogs chosen for the show will be under 5 years old because that’s what the families have asked for.

“Lucky Dog” will air on Saturday mornings, followed by another Litton show called “Dr. Chris Pet Vet,” which follows Australian veterinarian Chris Brown as he treats a wide variety of animals.